Philippine ID system gets closer as law approved
08 August 2018 10:25 GMT

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the Philippine ID System Law, bringing the country closer towards its planned fully biometrics-enabled identity scheme.

Called the Philippine System Identification Act (PhilSys Act), it mandates the government to create a single official identification card for all citizens and foreign residents that would serve as a de facto national identification number.

According to an analysis by local news agency UNTV, the ID card will use iris and fingerprint technology.The national ID shall contain a person’s Philippine Identification System number, full name, gender, blood type, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, address, and a front facing photo.

The Philippine System (PhilSys) ID is free of charge to all Filipino citizens and resident aliens.

Duterte said it will also pave the way for efficient services delivery, will enhance administrative governance, reduce corruption, curtail bureaucratic red tape, promote ease of doing business, and strengthen financial inclusion.

The president stressed that personal data will be carefully protected, in a nod to scandals that hit the country's electoral commission.

"Let me be very clear about this: The information that will be included in the Phil-ID will not be any different from the information already in the possession of the Philippine Statistics Authority or the former NSO (National Statistics Office), GSIS (Government Service Insurance System), PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund, COMELEC (Commission on Elections), and other agencies that gather personal data," Duterte said during the signing ceremony of the Philippine Identification System Act in Malacañan.